This document provides an overview of a presentation on how small businesses can use social media effectively. The presentation discusses how social media can help businesses build relationships with customers, generate leads and sales, monitor conversations, and more. It examines which social media platforms are most useful for B2B and B2C businesses and provides best practices for using LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, Facebook, and link shorteners. The presentation emphasizes regularly posting valuable content and engaging with customers on social media. It also notes that measuring social media ROI can be difficult but monitoring engagement metrics is more useful than focusing only on sales.

1. How to make
social media
work for your small business
Originally presented on September 8, 2012
To Entrepreneurs and small business owners as a beginners guide to
social media.
Presented by: Stephanie Sigel, social media specialist
Twitter: @StephSigel

2. What can social do for my
business?
 Everything that the telephone, print and in-
store can do, and more!
 Build/strengthen relationships with your
customers (Customer Service)
 Respond to consumers’ questions/comments
(Customer Service)
 Generate leads/referrals (Sales)
 New products/offers (Marketing/PR)
 Monitor conversations about your
business/industry (Market Research!)

3. Is social for B2C more than B2B?
 No, both can use social media.
 How many of you are currently using some
form of social media for your business?
• Facebook • Geo-location – ie.
• Twitter Fourquare
• Google+ • Daily deals
• LinkedIn • Forums
• Blog • Photo-sharing ie. Flickr
• Instagram • Social Bookmarking –
• Pinterest ie. Digg, StumbleUpon,
• YouTube or Vimeo, Reddit
other video

4. Do you use social media for your
business?
100
90
80
70
60
50 B2B
40 B2C
30
20
10
0
Yes No
Source: 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report

5. Businesses vs Platforms
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube/ other video
LinkedIn
Blogs
Google+ B2C
Photo-sharing B2B
Forums
Geo-location
Social Bookmarking
Daily Deals
0 20 40 60 80 100
Source: 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report

6. Which platform is right for my
business?
 B2C’s most popular platform is Facebook
 B2B tends to use Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and
Google+ more than B2C
 Where you invest your time and effort
depends on your business and most
importantly, where your customers are

7. LinkedIn
 Top Uses: networking, recruiting, lead
generation.
 How many of you are on LinkedIn?
 How many groups are you a part of?
 Do you actively use it to engage/network
with customers and other businesses?
 Check it out! http://linkedIn.com

8. LinkedIn
 Best Practices:
 Post daily/weekly to your company profile
 Ask employees (current/previous) to link up
 Ensure CEO maintains own active profile
 Confirm URL
 Post new positions/opportunities
 Follow other companies & your
customers/prospects
 Join groups/Start your own

9. Example Groups
 Toronto Entrepreneur Alliance
 Entrepreneur’s Network
 The Indus Entrepreneur
 Small business network for startups
 Small business online community
 Photography Industry Professionals
 Paints and Coatings
 Doors and Windows Manufacturers Group

10. Twitter
 Top Uses: Follow customers, similar
brands, receive news, share updates, and
most of all TALKING!
 How many on Twitter?
 Do you actively respond to customers, share
news/updates, follow similar businesses and
retweet industry news/trends?
 Start now! http://twitter.com/

11. Twitter
 Best Practices
 Tweet multiple times daily - min 3; max 1 per
hour
 Retweet and reply often
 Follow 1:1 ratio
 Use hashtags
 Create lists
 Use link shortener (ie. bit.ly)

12. Blog
 Top Uses: Share company news/updates;
opinion on industry news/trends; offer value
to consumers (how tos, best products, etc)
 How many are currently writing a company
blog?
 Are you actively posting
(daily/weekly), responding to
comments, and sharing posts via other
social sites?
 Start a blog! http://wordpress.com

13. Blog
 Best Practices
 Blog regularly, be it daily, weekly or monthly –
keep to a schedule
 Topics: Don’t only write about what you want
to say, but what your customers want to
know
 Share on Facebook/Twitter/others
 Link to your favourite/similar blogs on your
blog roll
 Include key words in title, meta data.
 Encourage employees to use/share it

14. Facebook Pages
 Top Uses: Post company
news/updates, respond to customer
questions/comments, share other valuable
content of interest to your network.
 How many are using Facebook?
 Do you actively post (daily, weekly) respond
to comments?
 Create your Page
http://facebook.com/pages

15. Facebook
 Best Practices:
 Post 1-2 updates daily
 Use photos 80 %, include links to your site
 20% video or other media
 Do not automate content
 Tag other pages
 Integrate into website

16. Shortening Tool
 Top Uses: shorten long links, track
clicks, geographical data and other insights.
 How many are using a shortening tool? (ie.
Bit.ly, tiny.url, ow.ly )?
 Shorten a link - http://bit.ly

17. Others
 Google +: social network offering live video
chats and targeted publishing (via circles)
 Pinterest: create pin boards of your favourite
photos/videos linking to their source.
 Instagram: optimized photo-sharing mobile
platform
 The list is endless, but start with major players
that make sense for your businesses. Start
with one, master it, and move on to the
next.

18. How do I measure ROI?
 #1 question asked by business owners and brands
 No easy answer, but it helps if you set strategic
objectives, monitor growth and use meaningful metrics.
 A more useful term for measuring social media is Return
on Engagement (ROE)
 This can be measured by
likes, comments, shares, retweets, clicks, views, repins, etc.
 But providing a service or product is no longer enough. To
be a truly social company ask yourself,
 "What is that thing we can do to help make our customers'
lives simpler, less confusing, less alienating, more
efficient, more meaningful and just plain better?” (Tara
Hunt, 2012http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/09/are_you_building
_facebooks_empire.html)

19. Social Businesses
Here are some ideas for your
wedding/event. I also take
beautiful photos.

20. Social Businesses

21. Social Businesses

22. Social Businesses

23. Social Churches

24. Start Connecting!
Today’s Attendees:
Nicole Hackett - Photographer My Hide a Hook, Product
www.nicolehackettphotography.co Website hideahook.com
LinkedIn
D Hubb Designs –
Angelo Lantosca, Devine Painters Fashion, Dressmaking
Website www.divinepainters.com Facebook LinkedIn
LinkedIn, Facebook
Cucina Maione - Baker
Jim Drakopoulos - Musician and Facebook
Jewelry
Facebook Mel’s Catering and Party Planning
Facebook page
Greg Morrison -
Entrepreneur, Business Development Pllight – Industrial Lighting
LinkedIn Website
Twitter GregoryMorriso1 http://www.pllight.com/index.php/
Djigem – Musician Stephanie Sigel - Social Media
Igemtube.com Twitter: @stephsigel
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube